Electrical conduit bodies may be made resistant to weather and corrosive environments by coating the exterior in a weather resistant material such as PVC. For example, the OCAL-BLUE brand conduit bodies from THOMAS & BETTS are coated in 40 mil PVC. The conduit body covers attach to the conduit body by screws that pass first through holes in the cover. Without a retention mechanism, the screws would fall out, making some installations, such as overhead installations, particularly difficult. To prevent the screws from falling out, a nylon washer is often attached to the screw on the underside of the cover.
This prior art design required the additional manufacturing hassle of applying a nylon washer to each screw in the cover. The nylon washer did not prevent the loose fitting screws from wobbling in the cover plate holes, so the screws still had to be aligned manually with the threaded screw holes in the conduit body. Since conduit is often installed in hard to reach areas, this step of aligning the screws with the screw holes in the conduit body could be difficult if the installer only has one hand available.
The presently disclosed screw retention mechanism makes both manufacturing and installation of the conduit body covers easier.